My PLN

My PLNJason Burger7th Writing TeacherAchievement FirstBridgeport Academy

Introduction: Why a PLN?Professional: Organize: categorize the myriad resources I already have and keep them in one placeExplore: discover new resourcesShare: present useful resources to colleaguesStudent achievement & engagementPursue professional development interestsUtilize tools of collaboration and new technologies to drive learning outcomes

Find AnswersYouTubeBeyond using YouTube for funny and engaging hooks, Ive begun to actually create content. I collaborated with other teachers and some students to develop hype videos for lessons and units. I had an older student do a dramatic reading of a poem and had two teachers argue over the merits of a different poem. The Teaching ChannelI got introduced to this website via JHU, but have since explored it for all sorts of useful videos. Particularly helpful have been the videos on implementation of the Common Core and content lessons. Better LessonIve used this resource for a while as it was developed by my charter network, but I had not actually uploaded content. Since this assignment, Ive begun to upload old book club plans and a few lesson plans. Ive since been notified that people have been downloading my content which makes me feel good to contribute as well as reassures me that some of my lessons are of a high quality.The Iris Center-Vanderbilt Peabody CollegeMassive online resource for information regarding special education, differentiation, and behavioral management. Includes over a thousand modules on a variety of topics to explore through self-directed learning.These resources are particularly useful in the context of discovering new instructional techniques for the 21st Century and following technology trends. As a depository for ideas, each resource is invaluable in its own way.

Social BookmarkingDiigoI found Diigo from exploring the Chrome App store. I instantly saw it as not only a great tool for curating my own interests while browsing the internet, but as a research tool for my students. Though I did not roll it out during this particular research unit due to concerns about planning deadlines, I am eager to introduce it during the next research unit. Instructional Pedagogy for the 21st Century: The tool represents a development in traditional research methods such as annotating , note-taking, and curating that is more intuitive and simpler when it comes to online resources.

CommunicateLinkedInCreated an account to pursue professional connections Following channels such as Education and Social Impact; groups and companies such as English Teachers Anonymous, Achievement First, Teach For America. Utilize to research new techniques, developments in terms of pedagogy, policy, etc. Connect with other professionalsCurtis Acosta Education consultant, Acosta Latino Learning Partnership; develop culturally responsive teaching and learning practicesCraig Baker Chief Education Officer at Domus Kids; connected regarding trauma-informed classroom approachFacebookExpanded use from just personal to professional connections Connecting with and following like-minded organizations and individuals such as National Council of Teachers of EnglishPotential for Family Communication: For next year, create a Facebook page for 7th Grade Writing and invite parents to Like it at back to school night. Use to update families on current writing projects and homework. Possibly utilize for discussions as well.This could be particularly useful for increasing student and family access. Page would not be a substitute to other forms of communication, but simply a diversification.

CollaborateGoogle PresentationStudents have been using Google Docs all year to draft their essays, but I want to create more space for collaboration as well as hit CCSS standards around oral language skills. As we are in a research unit, it makes sense for students to present research at the end. I want to use Google Presentations to do this. To enhance collaboration, I will divide students up into teams or partners based on research subjects (as they chose from a pre-determined list) and have them collaborate on Google Presentations. They can work on these simultaneously in the classroom and then present once the projects are completed. KidBlog.orgSet up individual blogs for all of your students to spur discussions and assess writing through a secure community. Ideal for book discussions or position papers. Also great for encouraging academic discourse. I would love to roll this out at the beginning of the year when focusing on literary paragraphs as these multiple, short writing assignments would fit the blog format well.Polleverywhere.comCreate a poll and use mobile technology or traditional web browsers to answer the poll and create graphs in real-time reflecting incoming dataThis particular tool can be used in the context of readiness as a teacher. Polling takes formative data to a whole new level. Addressing CFUs to the whole class and watching responses change in real time can assist in immediately adjusting instruction.

OtherThe following are instructional tools that I have come across either this year or during the course of this project and, while they dont particularly fit into any of the other categories of the PLN, I feel that they are just too good to keep to myself.NoRedInk.comIve only scratched the surface on this thing and dont know how to incorporate it into the classroom just yet, but its sort of like highly-engaging Khan Academy for grammar that incorporates SBAC skills, student choice, and free all in one.Flubaroo.comCreate GoogleForms for homework or exit tickets, run the Flubaroo script, and have the work graded for you and arranged neatly in a Google Spreadsheet. An amazing time-saver.GradeCam.comCreate and print scantron sheets and use a document camera or web cam to grade your papers for you. Teacher DashboardAn app for Chrome. Allows you to view all of your students GoogleDocs simultaneously, collaborate on documents, or assign individual copies of documents such as lesson guidesheets to a class. Never print again!

So Exciting!Summary Initial ReactionExtra work

Already have enough places to learn fromPDM.S. @ JHUAFTFAEtc.M.A. (More Acronyms)

Summary In retrospectOpportunity to make life easierBy taking the time to discover new tools, increase student and personal efficiency and productivity, and save time in the long run.Perennial studentIm always interested in learning and its exciting to take the time to direct my own learning and explore topics of interest.So many resources & so much to learnTaking the time during this project to explore has revealed the sheer wealth of information out there and made me realize Ive only scratched the surface.Post M.S.??? How to keep learning?Though I am currently receiving a ton of learning through school-based professional development and my Masters Degree, much of this will end in one year and I need to be prepared for self-directed learning to stay on top of new developments.Possibility of sharing with colleagues easilyCreating a visual presentation allows me to share great ideas with colleagues at my school and fellow students in this program, or potentially later via blogs or other forums discovered during this very project.